The personal blog of Peter Lee a.k.a. "China Hand"... Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel, and an open book to those who read. You are welcome to contact China Matters at the address chinamatters --a-- prlee.org or follow me on twitter @chinahand.

The reports have been denied by Sharif’s office, and by
Maulana Abdul Aziz personally in a press statement reported by the Pakistan
Tribune.

“I swear, I do not
know Tashfeen Malik and have never been photographed with her,” he said in a
statement issued on Saturday. “I have never even been photographed with my wife
and daughters. How can you imagine me being photographed with a na-mahram
(woman who is not related to me),” he asked.

…

Umme Hassan, Aziz’s wife and the
principal of the Jamia Hafsa seminary, also supported her husband, saying he
rarely gives interview to female journalists, and whenever he did give one,
Hasan or one of their daughters would sit in the room with Aziz.

“I can say with complete assurance
that Malik… never took a photograph with him,” she said.

I find their statements convincing because Maulana Abdul
Aziz is apparently allergic to having his picture taken. Indeed, on the Internet one finds occasional
pictures of him in public settings with men, but not women, and no personal “grip
and grin” “wall of fame” individual shots with fans and followers, male or
female.

And I was too quick to speculate on the
possibility that Malik attended the madrassa at Lal Masjid.As I subsequently found out, she got a degree
in pharmacy at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Punjab.

So post in haste, repent in haste.

There is no demonstrated link between Tashfeen Malik and Lal
Masjid mosque or Maulana Abdul Aziz.